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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tube · hide · cabinet · bay · mouse · rest · field · wound

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. field — a subject
  10. rest — a break
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. rest — what's left
  17. tube — a container
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. tube — the underground
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — for sport
  24. hide — to keep secret

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com